Yemeni prisoners claim UAE officers sexually torture them
June 26th, 20180 Hundreds of Yemeni prisoners have been sexually abused at a jail in southern Yemen believed to be run by the United Arab Emirates, according to several witnesses. Fifteen officers who arrived at Beir Ahmed prison in Aden hid their faces behind their headdresses, but their accents were clearly identifiable as from the UAE, Associated...
Erdogan wins sweeping new powers after Turkish election victory
June 25th, 20180 ANKARA - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan won sweeping new executive powers on Monday after his victory in elections that also saw his Islamist-rooted AK Party and its nationalist allies secure a majority in parliament. Erdogan’s main rival, Muharrem Ince of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), conceded defeat but branded the...
UAE collaboration with Israel goes back to 1990s, recently focuses on Iran
June 25th, 20181 Collaboration between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and United Arab Emirates officials started secretly in a Cyprus meeting to discuss the Iran nuclear agreement right before Donald Trump took office as U.S. president, according to a report in The New Yorker. The Obama administration was not aware of the meeting. U.S....
U.S. quits U.N. Human Rights Council, claiming it’s anti-Israel
June 24th, 20180 WASHINGTON — The Trump administration withdrew from the U.N. Human Rights Council on Tuesday, accusing the body of hypocrisy and bias against Israel. “For too long, the Human Rights Council has been a protector of human rights abusers and a cesspool of political bias,” Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said Tuesday...
U.N. General Assembly condemns Israel’s massacre of Gaza protestors
June 23rd, 20180 UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. General Assembly condemned Israel last Wednesday for excessive use of force against Palestinian civilians and asked U.N. chief Antonio Guterres to recommend an “international protection mechanism” for occupied Palestinian territory. The General Assembly adopted a resolution with 120 votes in favor,...
Qatar buying American influence through pro-Israel lobby and businessmen
June 22nd, 20180 WASHINGTON — A pro-Israel businessman doing public relations work for Qatar donated $100,000 to the Zionist Organization of America out of money Qatar paid him to “invest” in “community engagement.” Morton Klein, president of the Zionist Organization of America, told the Jewish Insider on Wednesday that he had been under...
Doctors Without Borders recruits in Dearborn
June 22nd, 20180 DEARBORN— Doctors Without Borders, an international medical humanitarian organization that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural and man-made disasters and exclusion from health care in more than 60 countries, is coming to the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn, Michigan on...
Israeli killing darken Eid al-Fitr holiday in Gaza
June 14th, 20180 GAZA ― Israel’s killing of at least 125 Palestinians during protests at the Gaza border is casting a shadow in the enclave on its celebration of Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim holiday marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. Economic hardship arising from years of blockades, conflict and internal political rivalries has also...
Egypt hopeful on Salah as fans remain in suspense
June 14th, 20180 CAIRO/YEKATERINBURG ― Egypt coach Hector Cuper said Mohamed Salah had a “great chance” of playing against Uruguay but no decision would be taken until Thursday’s training session as the Pharoahs flew into Yekaterinburg for the start of their World Cup campaign. “I am optimistic that he will be with us, I think he has a great...
Palestinian hit in face by tear gas canister fired by Israeli soldier in Gaza protests
June 12th, 20180 GAZA - A Palestinian hit in the face by a tear-gas canister fired by an Israeli soldier, was on life support in a Gaza hospital on Friday. Israel says it uses tear gas as a non-lethal measure against Gaza border protests. But the projectile, launched by a soldier on the Israeli side of the frontier, hit Haitham Abu Sabla in...
U.N. refugee agency hopes Lebanon will reverse residency freeze
June 12th, 20180 GENEVA/BEIRUT ― The U.N. refugee agency UNHCR hopes the Lebanese foreign ministry will quickly reverse a decision to freeze residency applications the agency has submitted for its staff, its spokesman said on Tuesday. Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil ordered the freeze last week after accusing UNHCR of hindering the return of...
Amman ranked most expensive Arab city, 28th worldwide
June 5th, 20180 AMMAN — Amman was ranked the most expensive city in the Arab world and 28th worldwide, exceeding some of the main Gulf, European and North American cities such as Abu Dhabi, Dubai, London, Rome, Washington D.C. and San Francisco, according to a recent report by The Economist. Titled "Worldwide Cost of Living Survey", the study was...
Lebanon working for return of thousands of Syrian refugees
June 5th, 20180 BEIRUT — Lebanon is working with Damascus for the return of thousands of refugees who want to go back to Syria, a Lebanese official said on Thursday. As the Syrian army, backed by Iran and Russia, has recovered territory, Lebanon’s president and other politicians have called for refugees to go back to “secure areas” before a...
UAE jails activist for 10 years over social media posts
June 5th, 20180 DUBAI — Prominent Emirati activist Ahmed Mansoor has been sentenced to 10 years in jail and fined 1 million AED ($272,000) on charges of criticizing the United Arab Emirates government on social media, The National newspaper reported late on Wednesday. A trade and tourism hub, the UAE is an absolute monarchy that tolerates little...
Assad raises prospect of clashes with U.S. forces in Syria if they don’t leave
June 1st, 20180 DAMASCUS – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad raised the possibility of conflict with U.S. forces in Syria if they do not withdraw from the country soon. In an interview with Russia’s RT international broadcaster, Assad said he would negotiate with fighters backed on the ground by Washington, but would reclaim territory they control......
U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow urges harder push for a ‘blue wave’, vows to stand against bigotry in Washington
June 1st, 20180 The ban has nothing to do with safety, makes us less safe around the world and negatively impacts our families in Michigan DEARBORN — It's no surprise that people the world over are attracted to the message of change. As one crisis and protest follows after another, it seems like people are forcibly grasping for...
Danish parliament bans wearing face veils in public
May 31st, 20181 COPENHAGEN — Denmark has banned the wearing of face veils in public, joining France and other European countries in outlawing the burqa and the niqab worn by some Muslim women to uphold what some politicians say are secular and democratic values. Parliament voted on Thursday for the ban proposed by the center-right government, which......
Egypt’s Salah out for up to four weeks
May 30th, 20180 Egyptian soccer star Mohamed Salah’s shoulder injury will keep him out of action for three to four weeks, Liverpool’s club physio has said, meaning he could miss the World Cup group stage. The 25-year-old is desperate to play for Egypt in only their third World Cup and their first for 28 years but faces a race against time to be...
Lebanon begins offshore oil and gas exploration
May 29th, 20180 BEIRUT ― Lebanon’s search for its first oil and gas reserves began on Tuesday after authorities approved an exploration plan submitted by a consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek. Energy and Water Minister Cesar Abi Khalil also said in a televised statement that Lebanon hoped to launch a second...
Palestinians in Jerusalem reject Ramadan meals provided by UAE
May 25th, 20180 WEST BANK — Jerusalemite activists have launched a hashtag on Twitter – #we are not hungry – as a rejection of Ramadan meals provided by the UAE for visitors to Al-Aqsa Mosque. They argue that the Gulf State is consorting with the Israeli occupation of Palestine, having sent a team of cyclists to participate in the international...
Lebanese filmmakers’ movie ‘Capharnaum’ wins Jury Prize at Cannes Film Festival
May 25th, 20180 CANNES — Nadine Labaki’s “Capharnum” earned a 15-minute standing ovation during its premiere at the 71st Cannes Film Festival. The film follows the story of a young boy named Zain, who is suing his parents for giving him life. Labaki was one of just three women to present a film to compete for the Palme d’Or, the......
Israel’s premature celebration: Gazans have crossed the fear barrier
May 25th, 20180 Sixty Palestinians were killed in Gaza on May 15, simply for protesting and demanding their Right of Return as guaranteed by international law. Fifty more were killed since March 30, the start of the “Great March of Return”, which marks Land Day. Nearly 10,000 have been wounded and maimed in between these two...
I just visited Iran. Here’s what I heard about the U.S.
May 25th, 20180 By Peter Van Buren Iran is a dangerous place these days, at least in a car. Traffic in the cities here moves like Tetris, with drivers pushing their cars into any open space that will fit. Trips begin in chaos and play out in confusion. How it ends is always up to God’s will, everyone says. I went to Iran this month to......
Syrian air defense intercepts missile attack on airport, state media reports
May 24th, 20180 BEIRUT - Syrian state media said a military airport near Homs city had come under missile attack which was repelled by its air defense systems on Thursday. “One of our military airports in the central region was exposed to a hostile missile attack, and our air defense systems confronted the attack and prevented it from achieving its...
Israeli minister: U.S. may soon recognize Israel’s hold on Golan
May 23rd, 20180 TEL AVIV — Israel is pressing the Trump administration to recognize its sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, an Israeli cabinet minister said on Wednesday, predicting U.S. assent could come within months. Interviewed by Reuters, Intelligence Minister Israel Katz described endorsement of Israel’s 51-year-old hold on the......
